Vlad II (c. 1390 – December 1447), known as Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"), was a voivode (duke) of Wallachia. He reigned from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He was the father of Mircea II, Vlad Călugărul, Vlad Ţepeş (also known as "Vlad the Impaler" and "Dracula"), and Radu the Handsome. Mircea II and Vlad Tepes were by the same mother, and Radu the Handsome and Vlad Călugărul by another wife. All four of his sons at one time or the...
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Vlad II (c. 1390 – December 1447), known as Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"), was a voivode (duke) of Wallachia. He reigned from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He was the father of Mircea II, Vlad Călugărul, Vlad Ţepeş (also known as "Vlad the Impaler" and "Dracula"), and Radu the Handsome. Mircea II and Vlad Tepes were by the same mother, and Radu the Handsome and Vlad Călugărul by another wife. All four of his sons at one time or the other would rule Wallachia. Vlad Tepes would go on to become one of the most notorious rulers in history.
Vlad II Dracul was a member of the princely House of Basarab (the House of Drăculeşti lineage), and son of Mircea cel Bătrân. Although Vlad II was in favor of Catholicism, he is known to have murdered members of the rival princely House of Dăneşti, a not-so-distant relation to his own father's House of Basarab, and gained power in Wallachia, upon returning from exile in Transylvania in 1436.
Vlad II received the surname Dracul in 1431,...
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